This handbook on the advisory and decision-making aspects of parent involvement provides information and skill-building activities to help parents establish, maintain, and increase the effectiveness of parent advisory councils (PAC) for bilingual education programs in Massachusetts. Chapter 1 describes the legal background and the basic structures of bilingual parent advisory councils, and gives an overview of the three stages of development. Chapter 2, on establishing a PAC, includes information on building community suport, group member roles, needed communication skills, making meetings effective and interesting, necessary organizational tasks, and getting needed information and resources. Chapter 3, on maintaining a PAC, focuses on needs assessment, improving the group's effectiveness, the roles of school officials with whom the PAC will work, and techniques for communicating effectively with school administrators. Chapter 4, on increasing PAC effectiveness, deals with action planning and institutionalization of the PACs. Chapter 5 is a working resource guide for each local community. Each chapter includes a list of additional resources. (MSE)